Permutation-lock



F. DE CURTIS.

PERMU TATIDN LOCK. APPLICATION FILED SEPTIIS. [920. 1,369,521. Patented Feb.22,1921.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET s.

I o 9 0 73 I -in... I.

I umw l '"I I F. DE CURTIS.

PERMUTATION LOCK.

-APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 15. I920- 1,369,521. Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES FRANK DE CURTIS, 0F MEIDFORD, LMASSACHUSETTS.

PERMUTATION-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

Application filed September 15, 1920. Serial No. 410,487.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK DE CURTIS, a subject of the King of Italy residing at Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Permutation- Locks, of which the following is a specification. p

This invention has for its object to provide a permutation lock of simple and relae tivelyinexpensive construction, and capable of use in various relations, and of being set so as to require a series of predetermined manipulationsto move the lock bolt.

The invention is embodied in a lock the essential elements of which are a casing, a bolt slidable thereon and adapted to be projected therefrom, studs carried by the bolt within the casing and variable in position relative tov the bolt, so that any stud may be located at diiferent distances from the path of the bolt in the casing, a spindle adapted to be manually turned in the casing and having bolt-moving means adapted to oooperate with predetermined studs in moving the bolt step by step, and manually operable means for adjusting the spindle endwise to vary the distance of the bolt-moving means from the path of the bolt, the construction and arrangement being such that the bolt may be moved stepby step by the cooperation of the bolt-moving means with j the studs when the spindle is manipulated in accordance with a predetermined combination or scheme determined by the arrangement of the studs relative to the bolt, and! involving successive variations of the distance between the boltmoving means on the spindle and the path of the bolt, all as hereinafter described in connection with other features of the invention, and pointed out by the appended claims. 7

Of the accompanying drawings forming'a. part of this specification v I Figure 1 is a top plan view of the casing of a lock embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectionon line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3' is a top plan view, the outer head.

or cover of the casing being removed and the spindle and spindle-adjusting sleeve hereinafter described being shown in section.

Fig. 1 shows in perspective the inner head of the lock casing.

Fig. 5 shows in perspective the lock bolt and some of the changeable studs carried thereby.

Fig. 6 shows in perspective the adjusting nut, the spindle adjusting sleeve and the spindle.

Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are fragmentary vlews similar to portions of Fig. 3, illustrating the operation of retracting the bolt step by step.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

JThe casing or housing of the lock hereinafter described is composed of a preferably annular body portion 12, an inner head 13 andan outer head preferably formed in two semi-annular sections 14 meeting to form a joint 15, Fig. 1. The casing parts may be separably connected by screws 16, Fig. 2.

17 represents a bolt slidably mounted on the inner head 13 to move in a predetermined path and adapted to be projected from the casing through a slot 18 in the body portion 12. The inner portion of the bolt is located within the casing. and is fonked-as shown by Fig. 5, its branches being provided with upstanding ears 19 and 20 located at opposite sides of the median line of the path of the bolt, and movable between guides 21, Fig. 4, on the inner head 13.

lVithin the casing are a series of studs 22 and a series of studs 23, each 'separably connected with the bolt 17 and adapted to be located at different distances from the bolt, or from the path thereof, the connec tion between the studs and the bolt being elfected by the upstanding ears 19 and 20. Said ears are provided with sockets 24 arranged at different distances from the bolt, and the studs are removablyinserted in said sockets and confined therein either by friction or by other means, such as screwthreads. The studs 22 and 23 project in opposite directions from the ears 19 and 20, and the sockets 24 in one car may have a different arrangement or grouping from those of the other ear, as shown by Fig. 5. The number of studs engaged at any one time with either ear is usually'less than the number of sockets. For example, the ear 19 may have nine sockets and three studs 22, while the ear 20 may have twelve sockets and seven studs 23, as shown by Fig. 5, the studs being at different distances from the path of the bolt and at different heights above. the inner head 13. The preferred arrangement is such that no two studs of either series are at the same height or distance from the bolt.

Mounted to have a limited turning movement in a bearing on the casing about an axis, at right angles with the path of the bolt, is a spindle 26 having oppositely projecting tappet arms 27 and 28, one adapted to eoii'perate with the studs 22 in retracting the bolt and the other with the studs 23 in projecting the bolt. The spindle is provided at its outer end with a knob 29 whereby it may be manually turned to an extent determined by fixed stops 30 and 31 arranged to contact, respectively, with the tappet arm 27 and with thertappet arm 28. A spring 32-connected at one end with the arm 28 and at its other end with an arm 42, hereinafter described, normally holds the spindle with the arms 27 and 28 out of contact with said stops, as shown by Fig. 3.

I provide manually operable means for adjusting the spindle endwise to vary the distance of its tappet arms 27 and 28' from the bolt, said means being preferably embodied as follows:

35- represents a nut which is rotatable in a bearing in the outer head of the casing and is provided with a peripheral groove 36, Fig. 2, bearing on opposite sides of the outer head, so that the nut is confined against endwise movement but is adapted to be freely rotated, the nut being formed externally to be grasped between a thumb and finger. With the threaded bore of the nut 35 is engaged the threaded periphery of a sleeve or tube 37, through the smooth bore of which a portion of the spindle 26 passes, the spindle being adapted to turn in said bore and provided with an enlargement 38 bearing on one end of the sleeve 37 and with an enlargement 39 bearing on the opposite'end of the sleeve, so that endwise movements of the sleeve are imparted to the spindle.

It will now be seen that when the nut 35 is rotated the sleeve 37 and spindle 26 are moved endwise, either toward or from the path of'the bolt, the sleeve 37 being prevented from rotating with the nut by means preferably embodied in the arm 42 fixed to the sleeve and provided with an opening 43 (Fig. 6) and a guide pin 44 fixed to the inner head 13 and passin through said opening. The arm 42 slides on the pin 44 when, the sleeve 37 is moved endwise.

The nut 35 and spindle 26 are provided with registering members adapted to indicate the distance of the tappet arms 27 and 28 from the bolt. As here shown the registering member on the nut is a tubular extension 46 fixed to and coaxial with the nut, and the registering member on the spindle is a portion of the enlargement 39, the latter being-elongated and provided with a graduated scale and a column of numbers, as

shown by Figs. 2 and 6. The scale marks are adapted to coincide successively with the upper end of the tubular member 46.

Operation.

Assumin the bolt 17 to be projected as shown by Figs. 2 and 3, it is retracted step by step as follows: In case the bolt carries three studs'22, each being located at a different height or distance above the bolt, an authorized user of'the'lockadjusts'the spindle 26- endwise to three successive positions in accordancewith achart or table of numbers giving the pretermined unlocking combination which depends u on'the relative positions of the studs 22. ach adjustment movesthe tappet arm 27 into'position to act on one of the studs 22. After each adjustment the spindle is turned by the'knob 29 in thedirectionof the arrowas' far as the stop 31 permits. The first turning moves the bolt from the osition shown by Fig. 3-to that shown by 1g. 7". Theoperator then releases the spindle and the spring 32 re stores it to the normal position shown by Figs. 3 and 8. The spindle is then" adjusted endwise to bring the tappet arm 27 to position to engage the'next stud 22, which is at a different height from the stud first en- I gaged. The spindle is then again turned and moves the bolt from theposition shown 7 by Fig. 8 to that shown by Fig. 9. The spindle is again released and restored toits normal position as shown by Fig. 10, after which the operator *again adjusts the, spindle endwise to bring thetappet arm 27 t position to engagethe last stud 22, which is at a different height from the others of the series. The next turning of the spindle moves the bolt from the-position shown by Fig. 10 to that shown by Fig; 11, and may com lete the retraction of the bolt.

T e registering members 39 and 46 enable the operator, by bringing three numbers on the member 39 successively into registration with then per end' of the member 46, to accomplish te desired result. It is obvious. thata different'number of studs 22 may be employed, necessitating a corresponding number of manipulations of the spindle.

The bolt may be projected by the cofiper ation of the'tappet arm 28 withthe studs23, thespindle being, turned in the opposite-direction and adjusted endwise and turned to cause, a step by stepmovement' of the bolt to its projectedposition. The projected bolt may look a door to which the lock is" attached, the bolt being Iprojeeted'into a keeper on the door'casing. be projected boltmay perform another function, for example, that of a stop, preventing the operation or com-- plete insertion of a key 50' into a lock designed to be operated by the key, the bolt being in'thepath of" the key, as shown by Fig. 2, when projected. When the bolt is retracted it is out of the path of the key and permits the operation of the lock thereby.

I claim 1. A permutation lock comprising a casing, a bolt movable in a predetermined path in the casing and provided within the casing with sgaced apart studs supported at different istances from the path of the bolt, a manually operable spindle mounted to turn in the casing on an axis substantially at right angles with the said path and provided with a tappet arm adapted to cooperate with said studs, and means for adjusting the spindle endwise to vary the distance between the tappet arm and the path of the bolt, and cause said arm to cooperate successively with bolt studs located at different distances from said path in moving the bolt step by step in one direction, registering means being provided for indicating the necessary endwise adjustments of the spindle.

2. A permutation lock substantially as specified by claim 1, the spindle-adjusting means being embodied in a nut journaled to rotate without endwise movement in a bearing on the casing, a threaded sleeve carrying the spindle and movable endwise by the rotation of the nut, and means for preventing rotation of the sleeve, the nut and spindle being provided with cooperating registering members adapted to indicate the necessary endwise adjustments of the sleeve and spindle.

3. A permutation lock substantially as specified by claim 1, the spindle adjusting means being embodied in a nut journaled to rotate without endwise movement in a bearing on the casing, a threaded sleeve carrying the spindle, and movable endwise by the rotation of the nut, and means for preventing rotation of the sleeve, the nut being pro vided with a tubular registering member and the spindle with a graduated and inscribed registering member adapted to cooperate with the said tubular member in indicating the necessary endwise adjustments of the sleeve and spindle.

i. A permutation lock substantially as specified by claim 1, the spindle adjusting means being embodied in a nut journaled to rotate without endwise movement in a hear ing on the casing, a threaded sleeve carrying the spindle, and movable endwise by the rotation of the nut, and means for preventing rotation of the sleeve, said means being embodied in an arm fixed to the sleeve and having an opening, and a fixed guiding pin extending through said opening.

5. A permutation lock comprising a casing, a bolt movable in a predetermined path in the casing and provided within the casing with two series of spaced apart studs located at opposite sides of the median line of the path of the bolt and at difierent distances from said path, a manually operable spindle mounted to turn in the casing on an axis substantially at right angles with the path of the bolt and provided with oppositely projecting tappet arms, and means for adjusting the spindle endwise to vary the distance between the tappet arms and the path of the bolt, one of said tappet arms being adapted to cooperate successively with one series of bolt studs in moving the bolt stepby-step in one direction, and the other tappet arm being adapted to cooperate successively with the other series of bolt studs in moving the bolt step-by-step in the opposite direction, registering means being provided for indicating the necessary endwise adjustments of the spindle. I

6. A permutation lock: substantially as specified by claim 5, the bolt being provided with two upstanding ears each havin a plurality of sockets, and the studs of eac series being separably engaged with the said sockets.

7 A permutation look substantially as specified by claim 5, the casing bein provided with fixed stops cooperating wit said tappet arms in limiting the turning movements of the spindle, a spring being provided to yicldingly hold the spindle with the ta pet arms out of contact with said sto s.

ln testimony whereof I have aflixe my signature.

FRANK DE CURTIS. 

